Reassessment Pact Ready For Signing In Monroe County

May 22, 1986|by WEALTHY J. KORTZ, The Morning Call

A $2.1-million contract may be signed next week between Monroe County commissioners and Automated Valuation Services, L. Robert Kimball Associates of Ebensburg, for a county property tax reassessment project.

The commissioners said yesterday they are planning to meet with Kimball Tuesday to refine a contract agreement to reassess 86,000 parcels.

Chairman James Cadue said the county will save $50,000 in a $2,150,000- proje ct by providing office space for the company on the third floor of the courthouse annex.

One change in the proposed contract is to schedule arbitration hearings in Monroe County rather than in Harrisburg.

Under the terms of the contract, the county will pay all utilities and offer county tax assessor field people to assist in the project.

The last reassessment project in the county was done by Cole, Layer, Trumble in 1972.

Cadue said several public meeting will be scheduled before the reassessment begins. Some of those meetings will be scheduled to include the news media and school districts.

The commissioners rejected three proposals submitted to them by Kostecky Associates for the drilling of a 530-foot deep well at the Pleasant Valley Manor site of the proposed county jail. Cost of the contracts ranged from $14,675 to $28,199. The commissioners indicated they would like to give local well drillers a chance to submit proposals.

Last week, commissioners did not receive bids for the well drilling. Yesterday, a Kostecky representativeprovided the county with three proposals for the work from well drillers in Pennsburg, Harrisburg and Mechanicsburg.

Commissioners denied a request from Monroe Museum Association for $3,800 in additional funding from the county.

Joseph Krumsky, director of the county planning commission, in a brief meeting with commissioners gave an update on the 12-year capital improvement highway program of the state Department of Transportation in the county; discussed rural highway classifications and reported on the storm water management survey.

The commissioners ratified an application for $166,507 Small Communities funding for Stroudsburg as it was presented by James Neutts, director of the county Redevelopment Authority which will administrate the borough's projects.

Neutts said the borough expects to receive $95,000 from the Department of Community affairs in the first year of the project and $71,507 in the second year. The money will be used for sidewalks, curbs and lighting of lower Main Street.

The commissioners acknowledged receipt of a permit from the Department of Environmental Resources that will now allow the county to advertise for bids to construct a new county jail in Hamilton Township.

They will meet with John Kostecky Associates next week to authorize the preparation of bidding specifications, including some interior changes for a better control of prisoners. The commissioners plan to authorize the bidding at next Wednesday's meeting.

The commissioners approved an addendum between the Tri-County Mental Health/Mental Retardation agency and Burnley Workshop to accommodate an additional $17,000 in funding.

They authorized payment of $30,850.30 to Harry de Pue Inc., Bangor, for work completed on the Strawberry Hill Bridge in Hamilton Township.

They also approved payment of $965 to Jebco Power Equipment Rental Co. for rental of an emergency generator unsed at the courthouse. The amount is the county share not covered by the county's insurance carrier for the rental after the emergency generator broke down.

The commissioners approved a revision to the Area Office on Aging budget to allocate an additional $14,000 in funding. Total budget is $791,000.